Chainsaws were a form of rotating weapon predominantly seen in earlier series of Robot Wars. Matilda was the first robot to be equipped with this weapon in televised series, upon her debut in Series 1 along with the other original House Robots. The first televised competitors to use chainsaws were Napalm, Leighviathan, Inquisitor and Spin Doctor, all in The Second Wars. The last for years - and most successful - was US Season 2 Grand Finalist and Tag Team Terror co-champion Rocky-Bot-Boa, although it used its pushing power as its main means of offense throughout its appearances. In Series 9-10, Coyote surprised many by using a chainsaw as a tail weapon, although it was susceptible to damage and was rarely used in combat.
Chainsaws were a mainstay of early robot combat, starting with the US Robot Wars events that predated the TV series. Indeed, when Marc Thorpe made his invitations to competitors for the inaugural event in 1994, he provided a photo of a robot equipped with a chainsaw to give an example of what he thought the competitor robots should look like. The following year, the weapon type debuted with Namreko 2000, seeing occasional use across multiple weight classes.
Definition[]
Matilda's chainsaw being tested prior to Series 1
As its name implies, a chainsaw is a long saw with a chain driven around it in an elliptical pattern. The chain is lined with several sharp teeth, which are intended to cut through robots' armour and aerials in the hope of damaging and immobilising them. Chainsaws are typically cannibalised from existing chainsaw tools, used by lumberjacks and wood-cutters to cut down trees and shrubs.
Chainsaws can be mounted horizontally or vertically, and are either petrol/gas or electric-driven. They were often mounted on a servo motor, enabling them to move up and down in the hope of reaching down to lower-bodied robots or penetrating further into their bodyshells. The original Matilda was particularly famous for performing this action during her appearances with this weapon.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
Advantages
Matilda slices through one of Broot's wheels
- In earlier series of Robot Wars, chainsaws were fairly common because they could be purchased pre-assembled and require minimal modifications, unlike most other weapons.
- Because of their ready-made nature, they could easily be added to a robot without making too many compromises to its design. Spin Doctor's weapon in particular was mounted in such a way that it did not affect its multi-sided, thwackbot-esque design.
- They were particularly effective against wood, such was their origins as wood-cutting tools. Most notably, Matilda's chainsaw was able to cut through SAT'arn's armour and Broot's armour with ease in Series 1 and 2 respectively. They could also be reasonably effective against plastic armour, which was the primary reason for Coyote being equipped with one.
- As with cutting discs, they were also effective at cutting through exposed aerials. Matilda once sliced through Skarab's radio control mast during its Series 1 Heat Final against T.R.A.C.I.E., disabling its hammer weapon in doing so.
- Alternatively, they could also be used on wheels and tracks, as Matilda proved with Broot.
Disadvantages
Matilda's chainsaw cut through SAT'arn easily, but locked up as soon as it touched The Demolisher
- Because they were designed to cut through wood (and ice), chainsaws are very ineffective against metal armour, causing scratches at best and often locking up upon contact (there were some exceptions though: Matilda was able to cut through the metal Wedgehog). Matilda's chainsaw notably locked up after touching The Demolisher in Series 1, and was replaced with an interchangeable vertical flywheel from Series 5 onwards after the chainsaw became increasingly less effective with every successive series, and by the time of the reboot she was done with chainsaws.
- Unlike most other weapons, chainsaws typically had to be built into a robot rather than custom made like discs and drills. This led to non-secure placement of the weapon and low prospects of repair, as seen by Napalm and Coyote's chainsaws being discarded after getting damaged by Sir Killalot and Apollo respectively. Leighviathan's weapon was also bent after getting caught by one of Dead Metal's spikes during its Series 2 battle against Mace.
- Their chains could also be prone to coming off, as demonstrated in Rocky-Bot-Boa's battle against Tricerabot 3.0 in Season 2 of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors, and Coyote's Group Battle in Series 9.
List of Robots with Chainsaws[]
Robots are listed in alphabetical order.
DESKTOP MODE ONLY: House Robots are listed with a gold background. Robots from the original 1994-1997 US competitions are listed with a purple background.
| Robot | Series Appearances with Chainsaws | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote | Series 9-10 | Rear-mounted chainsaw powered by a brushless motor. Spun at up to 3,000rpm and could move up and down. First UK competitor to use a chainsaw since Series 4. Removed after each of its Heat Group Battles. |   |
| Edgar the Hate Bug | 1996 US Championship | Featherweight. Measured 15 inches in length and mounted horizontally; powered by an internal combustion engine.[1] |   |
| Gladiator Rodney II | 1997 US Championship | Autonomous entry. An 'actuated chainsaw' originally designed to be interchangeable with a lifter on the championship-winning 1996 incarnation; became the robot's main weapon in 1997.[2] |   |
| Happy Fun Bot | 1996 US Championship | Attached to the front; implemented in a way to resemble a 'nose'. |   |
| Inquisitor | Series 2 | Horizontally-mounted. Chainsaw broke and was removed before competing. |   |
| Leighviathan | Series 2 | Attached to the rear, front weapon was a scoop. |   |
| Matilda | Series 1-4, US Season 2, Nickelodeon | House Robot. First robot of any kind to use a chainsaw weapon in televised series. Was replaced with a vertical flywheel for UK series from Series 5/Extreme 1 onwards. Made interchangeable with the flywheel in Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors and Nickelodeon Robot Wars. |   |
| Max Damage | Series 3 | Robot never moved in combat. |   |
| Napalm | Series 2 | A pair of rear mandibles were used to activate the 16-inch chainsaw. First UK competitor to use a chainsaw, but the weapon fell out during its Gauntlet run and was never replaced. |   |
| Namreko 2000 | 1995 US Championship | Mounted horizontally on the robot's right-hand side. Later exchanged for lifting/grappling jaws when first upgraded as Namreko 3000. |   |
| Overkill | Series 3 | Part of the robot's wedge, with the chain travelling inside and then out of the robot. |   |
| Raizer Blade | Series 3 | Interchangeable with a rear bludgeoning spike, discarded for Series 4. |   |
| Rocky-Bot-Boa | US Season 2 | US Season 2 Grand Finalist and Tag Team Terror Champion, paired with Black Widow. Chainsaw was mounted horizontally and saw little usage. |   |
| Satan's Revenge | 1997 US Championship | 1997 Middleweight Melee Finalist. 'Second-hand' weapon was placed centrally and powered by an internal combustion engine. Often suffered issues with reliability, bending and losing its chain upon trying to cut into stronger armour materials.[3][4] |   |
| Scorpion | Series 4 | Last robot in the original UK series to use a chainsaw. |   |
| Spin Doctor | Series 2 | Horizontally-mounted. Relied more on its sit-and-spin tactics. |   |
| Terminal Ferocity | Series 3 | Petrol-driven, mounted on a rotating turret and combined with a pneumatic lifter. |   |
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